Mesquite Veterinary Hospital was established in 1986 and is located on the rapidly growing, northwest side of Tucson in Catalina, AZ, a small community rated one of the best places to live in Arizona and resting on the edge of the beautiful Catalina Mountains. 45 Reasons to Move to Tucson Tucson is a great "secret" place to settle down. Our mid-size city of almost a million people offers big-city amenities - with a smaller town feel. Browse through our list of 45 reasons to move to Tucson, Arizona. 1. Mountains in every direction. If you feel like you are coming home whenever you see mountain ranges, you'll be immediately taken in by Tucson. In fact, you'll be quite literally "surrounded" by five minor ranges of mountains: the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Tortolita Mountains to the north, the Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the Rincon Mountains to the east, and the Tucson Mountains to the west.We are just over an hour from the Phoenix area and home to some of the greatest schools in the state. 2. Sunshine! You won't get the cloudy day blues in Arizona. Tucson offers 286+ glorious days of sun rays. On most days, you'll wake up and peek out your window to find blue ...skies and glittering sunbeams. 3. Jaw-dropping sunsets. End your evening with art - in the sky, that is! You'll be treated to cotton candy pinks, bleached oranges, vivid purples, and dappled clouds in surreal shapes. 4. Wide open spaces. If you're like the Dixie Chicks and yearn for wide open spaces with plenty of outdoor hideaways, Tucson's got it. You certainly won't feel claustrophobic in our airy city. 5. Fresh Air. Traditionally, Tucson has high rankings when it comes to clean air. We were placed on a list of the 5 Cities with the Best Air Quality in the U.S. (2013) and ranked #1 for cleanest metropolitan areas in the country for 24-hour particle pollution by the American Lung Association (2013). 6. Biking Paradise. If you're looking for accolades, Tucson's won numerous awards when it comes to biking. In 2014, Bustle ranked Tucson #7 among the 10 Best Cities in the U.S. For People Who Love to Ride. Previously, Tucson ranked #12 in Bicycle Magazine's list of America's Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities (2012) and Outdoor Magazine gave it to honor of Best Road Biking City in 2010. Travel Channel even went on to say that Tucson has "more bicycle infrastructure than any city in the United States." Hit the streets on most weekday mornings and weekends - and you'll find bikers gliding through the streets and the trails. 7. Runner's Wonderland. Same goes for runners. Tucson has lots to offer - challenging trail runs, plentiful sunshine, mild winters, moderate weather, and several different running companies that put on 5Ks, 1/2 marathons, and marathons. 8. Hiker's Haven. Want to strap on your boots and explore the great outdoors? You can find great hiking trails within the city limits. No need to drive an hour! Hit Sabino Canyon, Tanque Verde Falls, Pima Canyon, Catalina State Park, Tumamoc Hill, or Saguaro National Park to be in the city...but far away from the city...at the same time 9. Swimmer's Shangri-La. Because of 286+ days of sunshine and relatively few rainy days, Tucson is a great place for swimmers. Whether you're in to aquatic athletic pursuits or lounging poolside, you'll definitely find a place to fit in - in Southern Arizona. 10. Ra-ra for the rock-climbers. Remember the mountain ranges in every direction thing? People who scale up boulders for fun will appreciate those. 13. Bookmans. Tucson has a solid used book store chain with 3 locations. Not only can you find books, movies, video games, and whimsical trinkets for cheap, you can also sell your own items for cash or trade credit. Bookmans also offers great programming for kids + adults - story times, music hours, harry potter parties, craftathons, and more. (We're still holding out hope for a HUGE Downtown Tucson location!). 14. University of Arizona. Into college sports? Then, certainly you're no stranger to the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona has 21 athletic programs with Wildcats playing many different sports. The AZ Wildcats Football Team were Pacific-12 Conference South Division champions in 2014. Arizona Stadium, the home of Arizona Football, has received over $30 million dollars in renovations over the last 18 months for fan enhancements. Prefer basketball? Arizona Men’s Basketball has led the Pac-12 Conference in attendance for 35 consecutive seasons. Not to mention all of the other outstanding sports teams - tennis, swimming, baseball/softball (one of the hottest tickets in Tucson), and more. Even without sports, the U of A is a cultural epicenter - with museums, theatre, dance venues, even a poetry center. 16. Mexican Food. Sorry to say this, but - if you live in the Midwest or East Coast, you've probably never had REAL Mexican Food. Tucson's proximity to Mexico means that we have excellent cuisine options from South of the Border. Chimichangas? Tacos? Burros? Enchiladas? We've got it all. 18. Produce. Again, we're ultra-close to California, Mexico, and Yuma County (3rd largest vegetable producer in the nation!) so the grocery stores are bursting with fresh produce - for cheap! Mangos for 99cents! Raspberries for 87cents! Whole watermelons for less than $2! If you like to eat your fruits & veggies, you'll like it here. 19. Weather. Yeah, yeah. Tucson natives complain about the summers something fierce. But snowbirds will attest to the fact that Tucson's weather is pretty next to perfect for most of the year. The summers are intense with 90 and 100+ degree temps - BUT - BUT - little to no humidity. We've spent summers in Pennsylvania and Illinois and Texas...and can assure you that Tucson trumps them every time. Except that we don't get to catch fireflies (that's fun). 21. The Smell of Rain in The Desert. Some people say it should be bottled. Roll down your windows and take a sniff. There's nothing quite like it. 22. Free of Natural Disasters. Compared to much of the USA, Tucson is relatively free of natural disasters. No tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, etc. There are a few on-record, but they are very, very rare. 23. Fewer Bugs. AKA you can usually eat outdoors on your back patio and PLAY outside without being eaten alive or swarmed by bugs. Also - no need to search yourself for ticks after a hike in the desert. 24. Friendly People. Stop and chat to your grocery store cashier. Wave at the people on your street. Host a block party or bicycle parade. That's the way we do it here in Tucson. from https://www.tucsontopia.com/45-reasons-to-move-to-tucson/